Friday, September 23, 2011

Jennifer Lopez Buys Big Beach House in the Hamptons

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: The East Coast summer season officially ended a few weeks ago and the stock market remains a hot mess of volatility but that hasn't stopped at least a few high-profile peeps with still-deep pockets from snatching up high-priced houses in the Hamptons.

According to all the New York real estate gossips, soon-to-be-single-again entertainment industry super nova Jennifer Lopez is one of those fancy folks prepared to drop a hefty wad of dough on a humongous house in the Hamptons. But, of course, now that this bootyliciousbeehawtcha from some block in the Bronx has more money than most pin-thin Park Avenue princesses she don't do her real estate in a half-assed manner. Oh no, hunnies. There will be no funky beach shack in Miz Lopez's future; She's reportedly (and allegedly) thisclose to closing the deal on a gigantic, recently constructed Gambrel-roofed "cottage" in the swish Water Mill area new Bridgehampton last listed with an asking price of $17,995,000.

Miz Lopez's super stardom and global branding seems to know no limits or boundaries. She sings, she dances, she acts–or, rather, "acts," she designs clothes, judges a top-rated reality program singing competition, endorses lady razors, shills for Fiat, and slapped her name and/or image on 49,000 kinds of perfumes, just to list a few of her many money-minting professional endeavors.

Your Mama spent few moments perusing the intereweb and we quickly turned up evidence that the house in question, designed by Hamptons' architect John Laffey, was once listed at $19,500,000 and, as of today, has been on the market for 743 days. It doesn't take a math savant or bejeweled abacus to figure out that 743 days is more than two years. That's right, more than two years. If the all the scuttlebutt about Miz Lopez's impending purchase is accurate then all the children east of the Mississippi should soon hear a hurricane strength sigh of relief from the developer who has to be ecstatic to finally unload his big ol' white elephant.

Since Miz Lopez has not yet called us with the purchase price and property records do not yet reflect a transfer, we can't spill those beans but we'll try to update our discussion when news and information about the sale price slips down the pipeline.

Let's have a look-see at Miz Lopez's new multi-winged mansion in the Hamptons by the numbers, shall we? Listing information shows the 19-room mansion (floor plan below) measures 15,037 square feet and includes a total of 7 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms in the main house plus additional living quarters in two detached structures. There are a seven fireplaces–5 inside and 2 outside–garage parking for at least 3 cars, 2 laundry rooms–one up, one down–front and back staircases and 1 elevator that services all three living levels.A gated gravel drive curve towards a massive gravel motor court embraced on two sides by the singled mansion. There's little Your Mama loves and misses more than the crunching sound under the tires of our big BMW as we rolled across the gravel driveways of our beloved but long ago sold house on the East End of Long Island. Let's move one before we're gripped by a paralyzing nostalgia....

The driveway curls around to the side of the house where there's an attached three car garage. For eighteen million clams that garage ought to be heated and cooled even though a cheapskate like Your Mama think its wasteful to heat and cool a garage. A detached structure offers more parking and additional living space for long-term guests or–more like for Miz Lopez–housing the squadron of personal assistants, domestic staff and security personnel that follow high-maintenance Miz Lopez around wherever she goes.

A towering rotunda entry with imported limestone floors and swooping spiral staircase directs foot traffic into one of the two Venetian plastered hallways/galleries that run like spines through the center of the house and connects the various wings. The nearly 35-foot long living room has a fireplace and wide banks of windows and French doors on three sides that open to the deep covered porch that girdles the ground floor. There's another fireplace in the octagonal, window-lined formal dining room and yet another in the library that's lined with bleached and waxed white oak paneled walls and built-in bookshelves.

The 600 square foot center-island eat-in kitchen has wide-plank caramel-colored wood floors, custom bleached wood cabinetry topped with giant slabs of white marble, walls paneled in a wide-wale bead board and still another fireplace, this one flanked by French doors that open to the brick terrace that surrounds the swimming pool and spa. An adjacent family room with garden and swimming pool access, guest bedroom and over-sized laundry facility complete the service wing of the sprawling house.

Upstairs the master suite comprises a private foyer, 600-square foot window-wrapped bedroom/sitting room with–you got it–a fireplace. There are also two mahogany balconies with multi-million dollar views across Mecox Bay towards the Atlantic and a pair of connected walk-in closets with custom built-ins. The particularly perfect master bathroom has a heated marble floor, two sinks, marble-lined steam shower, private cubby for the dirty business and, set into a bay window with water view, a show stopping soaking tub carved from a single block of marble.

There are two more generously-sized family bedrooms, each with private facility, and two additional but smaller bedrooms also each with private facility. An octagonal room on the second floor–a deluxe playroom for JLo's twins?–has a wood floors, another damn fireplace, raised ceiling, and wrap around views over the reedy marshlands across the bay from the windows that line six of the rooms eight walls.

Like in many high-end homes in the Hamptons, the basement level is finished for extra living space. In the case of this house, there's a bedroom with private bathroom for unfavored over-night guests or live-in staff, a home gym to keep the body bathing suit ready, walk-in wine closet, home theater space, and a large spare room where Miz Lopez can store all the bikinis, bejeweled sandals, sarongs, headscarves and sunglasses that a gal about town like her will need to do up the casually dressed but hard charging charity and summertime social circuits for which the Hamptons are (in)famous.

In addition to the front and rear gravel motor courts and the classic covered porch that surrounds the lower level of the house, the hedged, gated and manicured 2 acre estate include a football field sized lawn, an fenced swimming pool area with brick terraces and pool house. The property reportedly shares a dock on Mecox Bay with the house next door, owned by the recently deceased actor Cliff Robertson who won an Oscar for his 1968 film Charly.

A few weeks ago Your Mama gave a rather lengthy and verbose rundown of the real estate portfolio of Miz Lopez and her soon-to-ex-husband Marc Anthony. Rather than regurgitate all that material you can just go have a look-see and read when and if you're so inclined.

The only additions to that discussion besides the news of Miz Lopez's latest (and still alleged) acquisition in the Hamptons is that Your Mama heard through the celebrity real estate gossip grapevine that Mister Anthony has moved out of the couple's colossal crib in the guard-gated, star-stocked and horsey community of Hidden Hills in the far western suburbs of Los Angeles.A little birdie named Wanda Tellyousomething, who claims first hand knowledge of the matter, recently whispered in Your Mama's ear that soon-to-be-ex-Mister Lopez leased an historic, vine-covered Italian Renaissance villa in West Hollywood (shown above) located in the shadow of the celebrity-packed Sierra Towers apartment building. Listing information provided by our little birdie shows the compound includes a large main house plus three private structures suitable for offices, guest houses or recording studios. It was listed for residential lease at $23,800 per month. Be sensible, kids. Your Mama can not confirm Mister Anthony leased the property and we can't say with any certainly that Mister Anthony has relocated from Hidden Hills to West Hollywood. We're just passing along some rumor and gossip provided to us by someone with obvious intimate knowledge of the property. Okay?

This house has been one of my favorites in the Hamptons ever since it came on the market - stunning levels of quality throughout, a unique layout that is both functional and elegant, and that master tub is just amazing!

Why yes... this Marc Anthony house is part of the La Colina Estate (main house above this one that is also leased out) was featured on Entourage. Courtney Love also rented this smaller house pictured. There is not a pool for this rental as the pool/spa complex is part of the large La Colina Estate higher up. That house has (2) pools and this rental has (none). The house is majestic yet the finishings are very outdated. Ronald Haft who goes by Ronnie owns all of these properties. He made his monies off of Dart Drugs, Crown Books, and Commercial Real Estate. Google him interesting read. Me and my huzband went to a charity event at this house and met the Mr. Ronald and his Mrs which is a guy/girl named Andrew or Andreas.

I really do not find it strange that it has been on the market for so long. For this astronomical amount of money anyone buying a house as a sort of getaway there, expects to have it on the beach. You dont pay almost 18mil. and be "close" or "just next" to the beach. I dont wish for it, but I think she will regret buying it. Everytime shes there she'll be wondering why, when investing so much, she didnt go for one on the beach.

As soon as I noticed that tub in the photos, I wondered to myself if it was carved from a single block, and sure enough.. This place is gorge.. way bigger than anyone needs, but simply gorgeous none-the-less.

I think you may have mistaken the site construction for a broken down home, because if you rotate that view once in a clockwise direction, THE ORIGINAL HOME (pre-construction) is still visible, and while modest by comparison, it's not an eyesore.

S: Would you mind terribly if I tidied up your grammar? I would think better of your education had you said "My husband and I." "Me" (an object pronoun) should never be used as the subject of a sentence. Then, of less importance, "his Mrs. WHO" since "what" usually refers to things not people. Finally "monies FROM" rather than "off of" would please me more. Perhaps you were grammatically slumming, for some reason? If so, disregard.

You say the tub is "set into a bay window with water view" but I'll be damned to figure out how you can see out of the window while soaking in that tub. The window is too high up. You would have to stand up in the tub to look out the window and how "soaking" would that be?

General remark: I have heard of this woman but the name for me is linked to no face. There are so many women like her in Hollywood. More pertinent question: is it hard work to become a "celebrity" like her? I presume that since the rewards are so great there must be lots of competition to rise to her "level". Does her "achievement" (I tend to agree with 9:17)result from luck or dogged industry? Someone with close up knowledge of Hollywood celebrity please explain. I might add that in one case I know, a woman who also is rich and famous and probably a "celebrity" (Reese Witherspoon) got there for her performance in a movie (Election) in which she was so good it hurt, so to speak. So I understand her situation. Did this woman ever do anything equally superb?

Dayum Dayum! Love JLo's Booty and love this section of the Hamptons! She will no doubt do a similar interior as her blueish/hamptonish Hidden Hills Pile.

Oh my yes this is the La Collina house that the Gay Mayor of young Weho Boys owns Ron Haft. There were grand parties at this and the combining multi-estates in the day.

My gay posse has been all up in this house and drops our pants. Mr. Ron Haft also has a bitchy older blonde lover stage who is past twink age would throws epic STudio 54 Parties... Oh my Marc Anthony... you may turn gay with this energy.

I agree with Anon 1:35pm. $18Mil for an estate in a waterfront neighborhood but not ON the waterfront? Some people have more money than brains. She will surely come to regret paying anywhere near that amount of loot if there is any truth to this.

And to Anon 5:13, what are you doing on a celebrity real estate blog without knowing who the hell J-Lo is? She's one of the most famous people on planet earth. My 82 yr old grandmother could pick her out of a crowd.

Really, don't know how she affords it? All those endorsements, concert tours, awful stuff at Kohl's that must pay off like lucky slot machines. Surely Mark Anthony will be paying child support. And bad movie after bad movie. She's always working, yet only has celebrity property to be proud of. Can't figure out why she'd marry a man like Mark. He doesn't seem the type to EVER carry her shopping bags.

About that vine-covered mansion...courtney love used to rent it as well. You can go on youtube and look up a documentary she participated in for a UK network and they give a full tour of the house. The outside is unmistakable though. I believe she lived there some time in 2004?